New laws banning the sale of vaping and nicotine products to anyone under 18 came into force in Wales on 29 October 2026. It is now illegal for anyone to sell such products to anyone aged 17 and under, and for anyone to sell vaping or nicotine products at a substantial discount.
What the new restrictions cover
The changes introduced across the UK extend the existing ban on the sale of vapes to under-18s to include nicotine-free vapes and nicotine products such as pouches. In Wales, the new law replaces the previous restriction which only applied to nicotine vaping products and now applies to any vaping products and any nicotine products including pouches, strips, and pearls.
From 29 October 2026, it is also an offence to give away a vaping or nicotine product for free where the purpose or effect is to promote the product, to sell such a product at a substantial discount for promotional purposes, or to give or sell a coupon at a substantial discount for a vaping or nicotine product where the purpose or effect is to promote the product.
Help for those quitting
Following the introduction of the new restrictions, Public Health Wales has launched a free NHS app to help people stop vaping. The new vaping module in the NHS Wales Help Me Quit app allows people to set goals, track their progress and tackle the habits which can make quitting vaping difficult.
Public Health Wales stressed that vaping remains substantially less harmful than smoking, and that staying smoke-free should still be the priority for anyone who has used a vape to stop smoking. They added that any young people who have already developed nicotine dependence should be able to seek help without judgement and should do so by talking to their healthcare professionals, or by accessing their Help Me Quit resources. These can be accessed through the Help Me Quit website or by texting HMQ to 80818.
Background and enforcement
In 2023, research carried out by the School Health Research Network found that 15.9% of Year 11 students in Wales reported vaping at least weekly, and nearly half (45.4%) had tried it. Regular vaping was more common among girls (8.6%) than boys (5.1%), and many had never smoked.
Crimestoppers Wales has previously raised concerns about people offering children free vapes in order to exploit them and use them to distribute or sell vaping products illegally or for sexual favours. If a person commits an offence of selling vaping or nicotine products to an underage person, they can receive a fixed penalty notice of £200. Anyone who suspects someone is selling vaping or nicotine products to underage people is advised to contact their local Trading Standards office.
Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health, Nerys Evans, said: "Help and support is available to anyone looking to cut down or quit vaping and the new module being launched as part of the Help Me Quit app is an important part of that support. The new laws coming into force are an important step in protecting children and young people's health and wellbeing. By stopping under 18-year-olds from accessing vaping and nicotine products and clamping down on the free giveaways and discounts designed to tempt them, we're giving our children and young people a better chance to grow up healthier and free from nicotine addiction. Together, these steps will help us protect the health of people across Wales, today and for generations to come."
